Category: Grand National

The short answer is no, it can’t. In recent years, in the interests of safety, the eligibility criteria for horses wishing to run in the Grand National have become increasingly stringent. To qualify, a horse must be at least seven years old and, prior to entries closing, in February, must have achieved an official rating of 125, according to the team of handicappers at the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). Horses that have not yet qualified for a handicap rating by the closing date can also be entered, by will only be eligible to run if, in the eyes of the handicappers, there racecourse performances merit an official rating of 125 or more.

Furthermore, prior to the closing date, horses must have run in at least six steeplechases at meetings organised by a recognised racing authority during their careers. They must have finished in the first four in any such steeplechase over an advertised distance of 2 miles 7½ furlongs, or further, at least once. In the current season, prior to the second scratchings deadline, in March, horses must have started, but not necessarily finished, at least one steeplechase.

Of course, even if a horse meets all the eligibility criteria, it may not be guaranteed to run in the Grand National. The safety limit for the Grand National is 40 runners so, at the final declaration stage, two days before the race, only the highest-rated 40 entries, plus four reserves, remain and the remainder are balloted out.

Collectively, John Francome, Peter Scudamore and Richard Johnson won the National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship 19 times and rode 6,634 winners. However, as far as the Grand National was concerned, their aggregate total was nil; not only did none of them manage to win the world famous steeplechase but, from 34 attempts between them, they could muster only five placed horses.

In fairness to the other two, Richard Johnson was, far and away, the main culprit when it came to losing rides in the Grand National. In fact, he rode in the National a record 21 times, but the closest he came to winning was second on What’s Up Boys in 2002 and second again on Balthazar King in 2014.

By contrast, Scudamore rode in the National just three times and achieved his best placing, third, on the 1983 Grand National winner, Corbiere, in 1985. Deputising for the injured Ben de Haan, but nursing a badly bruised, and heavily strapped, left leg, Scudamore said later that thought he might win from the third last fence but, ultimately, Corbiere could not withstand the lightly-weighted pair Last Suspect and Mr. Snugfit in the closing stages.

John Francome rode ten times in the Grand National, finishing third on the fading Rough And Tumble in 1979 and second, albeit beaten 20 lengths, on the same horse in 1980. He did, however, turn down on the 1976 winner, Rag Trade, after finishing tenth and last on the same horse in 1975.

With the exception of the Water Jump, the fences on the Grand National Course at Aintree range in height from 4’6″ to 5’2″. Outwardly, they appear much the same as they always have but, following a research and development programme by the Aintree Racecourse Executive and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), their anatomy has changed significantly in recent years.

Traditionally, Grand National fences consisted of a rigid timber frame which, although protected by foam rubber padding on the take-off side, was nonetheless solid. The timber frame, in turn, was stuffed with natural birch switches, cut and bundled together, and the fence was dressed with a loose topping of Norway or Sitka Spruce to a minimum depth of 14″. The spruce topping was, and is, intended to be forgiving, such that horses can brush through it, if need be.

However, striking a rigid timber frame at racing speed can be hazardous to horse and rider so, in the interests of safety, wooden posts and natural birch have been replaced by more forgiving, plastic birch units in all the plain fences on the Grand National Course. Thus, even if horses knock the spruce off the fence, they run less risk of becoming unbalanced and/or injuring themselves. Each fence is fronted by a foam padded rail, approximately one-third of the way up the fence, and a toe board, 14″ high, at the base to provide a clear sighting.

Richard Pitman was, of course, the first husband of Jenny Pitman who, in 1983 – six years after their divorce – became the first woman to train the winner of the Grand National. Between 1972 and 1975, Pitman was stable jockey to Fred Winter and, in that capacity, won several notable races, including the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Pendil in 1972 and 1973 and the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival on Lanzarote in 1974.

Pitman never won the Grand National yet, for all his success elsewhere – he rode a total of 427 winners – he will probably always be best remembered for coming off second best in one of the most thrilling finishes in the history of the world famous steeplechase. In fact, he once said, ‘I’m quite embarrassed that people still want to talk about it, all these years later.’

On March 31, 1973, Pitman lined up for the Grand National aboard the Australian-bred Crisp, affectionately known as the ‘Black Kangaroo’, who was sent off 9/1 joint favourite, alongside an up-and-coming Red Rum. Crisp jumped boldly at the head of affairs for most of the way and, at one point, was 25 or 30 lengths clear of his nearest pursuer. He was still 15 lengths ahead jumping the final fence but, shortly afterwards, Pitman committed what he described as ‘a basic error’. As he picked up his whip, right-handed, his rapidly tiring mount fell away to the left and, agonisingly, was caught and passed by Red Rum, who was receiving 23lb, two strides from the winning post.